Monday, November 15, 2010

When would you give up your seat?

Today, I'm hot off the heals of a busy weekend with the Grand Commandery at their Line Officer's Seminar. This event was similar in nature to the annual PA DeMolay Spring Leadership Weekend (albeit with less costumes!) My favorite part of this type of event is watching people interact with each other.

Whenever you bring a large group of men together like this, politics and intrigue are bound to happen. You have men who are in power, men who want to be in power, men who were denied power, and men who could care less about power. It's certainly an interesting mix of people. You can usually tell which group someone belongs to by whom they choose to sit with at lunch and sit near during meetings. I admit, I'm just as guilty of this as the next guy, but it's fun to watch and evaluate none the less.

We see this same thing in DeMolay. It's part of the political process. If you want to run for office, you have to get your name out there. How do you do that? By being near the people in power and getting to know them. In turn, they will recognize your talents and give you responsibilities. This will enable you prove yourself and become a recognized leader. Then, when your time comes, you have a chance of getting elected. It's not sneaky, it's the way of the world! There are ways that this can turn ugly, however.

As I was writing this I came across a great story about General Robert E. Lee, the main commander of the Confederate forces during the civil war. The story goes like this:

"General Robert E. Lee was on his way to Richmond, and was seated in the extreme end of a railroad car, every seat of which was occupied. At one of the stations, an aged woman of humble appearance entered the car, carrying a large basket. She walked the length of the aisle and not a man offered her a seat. When she was opposite General Lee’s seat, he arose promptly and said, “Madam, take this seat.” Instantly a score of men were on their feet, and a chorus of voices said, “General, have my seat.” “No, gentlemen,” he replied, “if there was no seat for this old lady, there is no seat for me.” It was not long before the car was almost empty. It was too warm to be comfortable."

So, are you only giving up your proverbial seat for political motives or are you doing it because it's the right thing to do? Remember, doing the right thing can get you noticed just as much doing the political thing can!